: I'm using Ross's internal hatch holddowns method on my Expedition Single. I'm
: about to glue on the hatch hooks and wonder if I have enough glass on the
: hatches before I proceed. I have 1 layer of 6 oz.on the outside and 1
: layer of 4 oz. on inside. The hatches are oval and are average sized. The
: internal system may apply more stress than external straps or bungees. Any
: ideas appreciated.

: Thanks,

: Larry C.

Hi Larry

I'm doing the same thing and haven't built the hooks yet. I'm thinking about using a larger glueing surface, 2 square inches or so. I had some bad experiences last year using 5 minute epoxy so I now follow this procedure for gluing.

1) rough both contact surfaces good 2) add some cut up glass to the glue mixture 3) fair out the exposed surface of the glue 4) After everything is cured, varnish the area to seal the epoxy., this seems to keep the epoxy from going soft, that was the problem I had last year. The 5 minute epoxy went soft after exposure to salt water, but anything sealled with varnish last well.

Greg